Actually, It Wasn't That Windy I'm back from Chicago, where I successfully:

1) Crashed with Lu and met Bob; a surprising alliance was formed.
2) Explored Madison and met a 9-foot boa named Xena, not an ally.
3) Stayed with E. and L. and ate lots of good sushi, discussing marriage equality and shoes.
4) Ate copious amounts of sushi, again.
5) Wandered about, bought too many used books, ate scones.
6) Road on a boat, looked at buildings.
7) Managed to get some color on my pasty self.
8) Ate vegan with everyone's favorite activist/anarchist. He'd be your favorite too if you knew him.
9) Reconnected with an old and good friend, and met her baby!
10) Fit it all in my carryon for the trip home. (Not the baby, or the activist, or the boat. Unfortunately. Mostly just the used books.)

In other interesting news, the TSA official sniffed my deodorant as he sifted through my bag at the security checkpoint. This must be a great job for fetishists.  ¶ 12:26 AM